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Third Attention

An ordinary man sees the world as it is, as he’s been taught, conditioned and instructed to see it. A warrior sees the lines of the universe and knows the interconnectedness of all things. ~ Don Juan

The first attention basically consists of everything that ordinary man considers what it means to be human. It is the reality that has been constructed and developed in order to deal with the daily world and encompasses an awareness restricted to the physical body.

In second attention, one operates on an energetic level and the second attention is largely developed through deliberate training or accidental trauma which puts one back in touch with the energetic essence with which they were born. Sorcerers can see from second attention. This seeing includes the ability to hold the awareness of inorganic beings, to perceive energy directly and the capacity to connect with silent knowledge and intent.

The third attention is the largest attention of immeasurable consciousness. It is believed by some to only be achieved at the time of death. It is what Hindus and Buddhists refer to as Samadhi which is having a state of complete control over the functions and distractions of consciousness. It is the moment that the entire body is kindled with knowledge, when every cell simultaneously becomes aware of itself and its awesome energetic connection through oneness to all things. It is the ability to perceive at a monumental level.

In The Eagle’s Gift, Carlos said, the crux of the warrior’s struggle is not so much to realize that the crossing over stated in the rule means crossing to the third attention, but rather to conceive that there exists such an awareness at all.

Third attention is accessible by walking between the worlds, bridging the first and second attentions so there is no distinction, no distraction, and no separation. Third attention allows one to perceive the world and the universe as one continuous flow of energy and basically have the ability to accomplish the ultimate feat of which human beings are capable, the Abstract Flight. Carlos called this a journey into Infinity that is moved by Intent.

Third attention is attainable through the means to which one is able to perceive. While ordinary men perceive at seemingly ordinary levels by constructing their worlds based on what they were taught and how they were conditioned by others, warriors perceive through heightened self-awareness, the awareness that is achieved through practices that allow one to rise above social conditioning, free from encumbrances from their past with an ability to deepen more fully into the expanded consciousness that is more relevant to their own personal truth.

The third attention goes beyond the self, beyond awareness and beyond truth; it is quite simply raw perception. It is the ability to transcend time and space, to enter into a space of non-duality and consciously merge with the pureness of being without the presence of perceptual filters attempting to rationalize the experience. It is the stillness at the center of the whirlwind, the convergence of the tonal and the nagual, the most simplistic moment that preceded the very first primordial human choice of this or that.

The truly exciting part of all this is that people are waking up, every day, to realize that there really is no ultimate truth, there is only perception. The age old quest of seeking the ultimate truth through religious indoctrination, ritual and dogmatic habit is coming to pass as more and more people begin to recognize that they are chasing their tails in their attempt to find their salvation by repeating old, outmoded patterns promising something that can’t be achieved through the structures that have been established. No one needs to be saved, it is a fallacy based on an attempt to keep people weak, insecure and self-doubting. Perception on the other hand, constantly expands as warriors on the path of knowledge and awareness consistently strive to hone this skill.

The only truth that really exists is the truth of perception and greater still, that each person’s perception IS that person’s ultimate truth. Simplicity. Choice. Consciousness. Awareness. Freedom.

Becoming Awareness

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